![\"Capitals](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/USATSI_26147146.jpg\")
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The Washington Capitals may have just put together their proof-of-concept game. The Caps went into the never-friendly confines of the Lenovo Center and delivered a 4-1 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Beating that team always feels good. Even better when the great play from recent losses finally gets rewarded.<\/p>\n
For the second consecutive offseason, the\u00a0New York Mets\u00a0appear to be competing to pry an outfielder away from their crosstown rivals.<\/p>\n
According to\u00a0Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets are interested in free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, who spent the 2025 season with the Yankees. Heyman noted that the Mets have openings at center field and first base\u2014two positions Bellinger can play.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/t.co\/Cj9o233gEH\u00a0Can the Mets possibly sign a star Yankee OF for the second straight winter? They are interested<\/p>\n
Bellinger, 30, joined the Yankees in a salary-dump trade days after the Chicago Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker last December. It was one of multiple defining moves in the Yankees\u2019 pivot from Juan Soto, who signed a historic 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets after one season in the Bronx.<\/p>\n
Over 152 regular-season games in pinstripes, Bellinger hit .272\/.334\/.480 (.813 OPS) with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs. The left-handed slugger finished with 5.1 bWAR, the highest mark he has produced since his 2019 NL MVP campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers (8.7).<\/p>\n
Bellinger not only excelled batting behind Aaron Judge but was also one of the best defenders in baseball. Playing all three outfield positions and first base, he accumulated eight defensive runs saved and was credited with +7 Outs Above Average by\u00a0Statcast.<\/p>\n
An UNBELIEVABLE Cody Bellinger catch secures the Yankees win!\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/XdzM96Amiw<\/p>\n
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has emphasized improving run prevention since the offseason began, citing it as one of the main reasons the team fell short of expectations in 2025. Adding a player with Bellinger\u2019s defensive abilities to the starting lineup could help address that issue, though his exact role would depend on other moves.<\/p>\n
When asked about the team\u2019s center field options Tuesday at MLB\u2019s GM meetings in Las Vegas,\u00a0Stearns said\u00a0Mets No. 2 prospect Carson Benge will have a chance to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training. The 2024 first-rounder posted an .857 OPS with 15 home runs and 73 RBIs across three levels this past season, though he hit .178\/.272\/.311 in 24 Triple-A games.<\/p>\n
If Benge starts in center, that would leave first base as a potential Pete Alonso replacement or either corner outfield spot as Bellinger\u2019s most realistic long-term fit in Queens. Both Soto and Brandon Nimmo are under contract through at least 2030, so the Mets would likely have to move one to a full-time DH role or trade Nimmo to accommodate Bellinger in the outfield.<\/p>\n
At no point during Bellinger\u2019s first nine big-league seasons has he been a full-time first baseman, though he has made 350 career appearances (274 starts) at the position. His career marks of 10 DRS and -1 OAA at first are not as strong as his outfield metrics, though they are noticeably better than Alonso\u2019s defensive numbers (-9 DRS, -9 OAA) in 2025.<\/p>\n
If there is one concern about Bellinger\u2019s potential fit in Queens, it is that the Mets already have an abundance of left-handed bats at the top of the lineup. That said, the two-time All-Star led all left-handed hitters in on-base percentage (.415) and slugging (.601) against lefty pitching in 2025.<\/p>\n
Like Alonso, Bellinger opted out of the final year of his contract ($25 million guaranteed) in search of a longer-term agreement this offseason. Both\u00a0Spotrac\u00a0and\u00a0ESPN\u2019s Kiley McDaniel project Bellinger to secure a six-year deal in free agency\u2014one that would exceed his previous financial guarantee in average annual value.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Washington Capitals may have just put together their proof-of-concept game. The Caps went into the never-friendly confines of the Lenovo Center and delivered a 4-1 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t